Critical TV station suspended in Ecuador

We issued the following statement today after Ecuadoran authorities took critical private broadcaster Teleamazonas off the air for three days on Tuesday. In a story aired in May, Teleamazonas reported that natural gas exploitation on Puná Island could force the suspension of fishing for six months...

“The government’s assertion that by reporting on a matter of public interest Teleamazonas incited public disorder is patently ludicrous,” said Carlos Lauría, CPJ’s senior program coordinator for the Americas. “The administration of President Rafael Correa has repeatedly threatened to take direct action against Teleamazonas and the critical press and this suspension is nothing but an attempt to intimidate the media into silence. It should be lifted immediately and the government should let the press do its work.”